Apple TV and HDCP

mrdave79 said:

I'm loving my new ATV but I purchased Moon from the iTunes store a few days ago on my Macbook Pro and then tried to play it via the ATV. It came up with a notice about HDMI not being HDCP compatible or something.
Is there anything I can do to get it to play?

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This sounds like a temporary software glitch. Have you tried to restart both your PC/Mac and the Apple TV? You also need to be certain that you are using the latest version of iTunes (older versions may not work with the new Apple TV).

You might also want to check you HDMI cable and TV although I doubt those could be the problem (since if the HDCP content protection was failing then none of your purchased content would work on the Apple TV).

i highly doubt it is the HDMI cable you bought. I have bought many HDMI cables from monoprice for like $2 and not once have had a problem with them. Probably either in the settings or a software issue, as someone stated.

It wouldn't hurt to try another cable. It could be damaged or something.

Make and model of your tv?

HBOC said:

...I have bought many HDMI cables from monoprice for like $2 and not once have had a problem with them...

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Monoprice is a good source for cables, but the last batch of HDMI cables I purchased from them included one cable that caused all types of intermittent resolution syncing issues with my TV. At first I thought it was my TV or AV receiver, but I tried swapping out the cable and the problem always follows with the cable (even when used on other TVs/devices). So, you can get bad cables even from Monoprice.

mrdave79 said:

Well none of my purchased films worked actually now I've checked. Would it be the relatively cheap HDMI cable I bought? I've reset both the Mac and the ATV. Any other ideas?

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Are you using iTunes v10.0.1? You need that version to be compatible with the ATV2.

HBOC said:

i highly doubt it is the HDMI cable you bought. I have bought many HDMI cables from monoprice for like $2 and not once have had a problem with them. Probably either in the settings or a software issue, as someone stated.

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i am with you on this - i believe it to be a problem with the TV itself and a software/firmware update will fix it. quite similar to the TV glitches we are experiencing.

I too have randomly have this problem occur.

mrdave79 said:

I think it's my TV to be honest. Have looked into it and neither of the ones I have seem to support HDCP over HDMI.
I have a LG Flatron M237 WDP and a Samsung Syncmaster 2333 HD.
So going to try a HDMI to DVI convertor instead.
Unless you guys have any other ideas?
And yes I'm running iTunes 10.01.

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it's less likely that your TV would have an HDCP DVI port than it would have a non-HDCP HDMI port. don't bother buying any more cables.

your samsung is hdcp compliant, and so is your LG. i suggest calling apple.

Yes, skip the DVI adapter, it's even less likely to work. In any case, if you have two TVs that aren't working with the iTunes protected content and if as The General says both should be HDCP compliant then it seems highly likely that it must be something common between the setups. That leaves your HDMI cable and the Apple TV. Frankly, bad HDMI cables do exist, so I wouldn't automatically eliminate that from consideration. Of course, bad software/firmware/hardware (i.e. Apple TV) also exists so that can't be eliminated either.

Can't you borrow an HDMI cable from a friend or neighbor to test your setup?

It's these issues that lead us to get our movies else where. When will they learn

BlackMangoTree said:

It's these issues that lead us to get our movies else where. When will they learn

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how do we actually know its the problem though - i would more put it down to a bug with TV. you are well aware of its issues

Check the whole HDMI path

I read through the thread and did not see that the OP mentioned if the entire HDMI path was HDCP compatible. In my case, I have an old AV receiver whose HDMI did not pass HDCP correctly (maybe too old?). When I connected directly from ATV to my LCD, all's well. But, of course, the WAF went down because I have to explain the TV remote controls the volume only when watching ATV.
Maybe an excuse for a new receiver, but that means a trip to the jewelry store at the same time.

mrdave79 said:

LG Flatron M237 WDP and a Samsung Syncmaster 2333 HD.

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Err... neither of these are TVs. They're computer monitors. Which would wholly explain their lack of HDCP support.

Why computer monitor manufacturers place HDMI ports on monitors without supporting HDCP is anyone's guess, but I think it's more about games console connectivity than anything else.

wodeh said:

Err... neither of these are TVs. They're computer monitors. Which would wholly explain their lack of HDCP support.

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Not strictly true, they are Monitor/TV hybrids as they also contain TV tuners, and if check out the reviews and specs for them they both seem to be HDCP compliant.

The thing has a warranty that includes phone support. Call Apple and ask. Then come back and tell us what they said.

I can't see any explicit reference to HDCP support on the 2333HD on Samsung's own website. As for the LG MD237, half the references to HDCP are bracketed after the DVI-D, which could mean that it offers this support over DVI only.

If HDCP warnings are consistently appearing with both of these displays, then I would be tempted to try an HDMI->DVI cable with the LG. Whether or not it'll work, however, I can not say.

Unless you have some sort of sound system with an optical audio input, however, the HDMI-DVI route will bring problems of its own.

wodeh said:

I can't see any explicit reference to HDCP support on the 2333HD on Samsung's own website. As for the LG MD237, half the references to HDCP are bracketed after the DVI-D, which could mean that it offers this support over DVI only.

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No, I couldn't find it on Samsungs site either but all of these reviews claim it's HDCP ready.

http://www.prad.de/en/monitore/review/2009/review-samsung-2333hd-part15.html
http://www.afterdawn.com/products/product_details.cfm/15597/samsung_2333hd
http://www.otest.co.uk/r/datasheet/183380/samsung-syncmaster-2333hd.html

I'd be very suprised if it wasnt HDCP ready.

As for the LG the specs on LG's site say it's HDCP ready as does the cnet review:-
http://www.lg.com/uk/it-products/monitors/LG-tv-monitor-M237WDP.jsp
http://reviews.cnet.com/lcd-monitors/lg-flatron-m237wd/4507-3174_7-33630790.html?tag=specs

As a technology writer myself, I'd be wary of what any review says. Most are poorly researched, press release re-hashings with little to no grounds in reality.

I'd also be surprised if they were not HDCP ready, but a computer monitor/TV hybrid is not something I would invest in or expect to be anything more than a poor example of both its components.

sailon might be onto something, but it doesn't sound like there's anything there but an HDMI<->HDMI cable. In my experience, HDMI being digital either works, or it doesn't. And any cable costing more than a couple of bucks offers nothing more than good build quality, if that. Either the Apply TV is lying, or the displays themselves are at fault.

A logical solution would be to try a "real" television which has successfully worked with HDCP content before, to rule out the cable and/or the Apple TV itself.

HDCP has been cracked in software, rendering it effectively useless, and yet us consumers are saddled with its horse**** for the rest of HDMIs life. Thanks for that.

wodeh said:

A logical solution would be to try a "real" television which has successfully worked with HDCP content before, to rule out the cable and/or the Apple TV itself.

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Or try another HDCP device like a PS3 Blu-Ray or stand alone Blu-ray player on both the LG and Samsung and see what happens.

Didn't hear if you tried another hdmi cable. I was not able to stream netflix on the new atv because the the same error. I switched cables and it worked. Unfortunately the tv is wall mounted and the cables are in the wall, so I had to switch to the other hdmi port to do this, but I know both ports are compliant (it is a panasonic plasma), though I guess it is possible there was an issue with the other port, but I think it is more likely it was the cable. So it is possible it could be the cable.

reset works

Had similar problem: relatively new tv connected to new appletv via hdmi cable, all working fine, then started getting the hdcp error message.
power cycled both tv and appletv and was back in business.